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Wuzan
Summary Wuzan is an old, cunning troll and long standing Shadow Hunter of the Darkspear Tribe. He is most well known for having joined forces with the heroes of Azeroth to defeat Deathwing the Destroyer. Early Life Wuzan was born on Darkspear Islands. From a young age he spent his time learning how to hunt prey and strike them down, as it was an important skill for all members of the tribe. His young adult life was spent mostly hunting beasts for their meat and hides, learning his craft and improving on it. Once he had some years of experience hunting the wild animals of the land he began skirmishing against the native Murlocs of the island alongside more experienced Headhunters of the tribe. This continued for many years, Wuzan eventually becoming one of those Headhunters leading the young ones on their first ambushes. His whole life Wuzan worshipped the Loa of his people, offering many vanquished foes and offerings of blood, establishing a bond early in his life. By the time he was fighting a guerilla war against the murlocs he had established a small number of powerful connections, namely to Shirvallah and Bethekk. His feline grace always seeing him clear of any fatal injuries and his innate regeneration taking care of the rest. Eventually he decided to undertake a journey to the deep, dark jungle that was known as First Home to his people. A sinister place with dense undergrowth which was said to be home to many monstrous beasts and even Loa unknown to the rest of his tribe. They said nobody went to this place besides shadow hunters and fools. Wuzan did not believe himself to be a fool, nor did he entertain the thought of being as powerful as a shadow hunter but the possibility of hunting great beasts motivated him to go on. He scouted the area around the best entrance point to the thick jungle for some time, listening for the wild noises coming from within. After preparing a small ritual he prayed to many Loa for hours, begging for their aid so he could slay a wondrous beast in their name. However he was unprepared for what he encountered after the first day spent slowly moving through the unbelievably dense jungle terrain, every foot forward had to be hard fought for and it was difficult to make good time and move quietly enough to hunt animals. Wuzan learned this the hard way when he hacked into an inconspicuous clearing, sighing with relief to himself as he moved to take a rest there. No sooner had he crouched when a great panther of unnerving size and speed thrashed out of the bush and pinned Wuzan down on the ground. As it loomed over him, wildly snapping and slavering while he barely held it back and wriggles away from its maw he began to hear faint laughter from all around. With his free hand he drew a long knife and tried to slash the panther's throat however as he attempted it the beast retreated out of striking range with uncanny speed, beginning to circle him as he drew his other blade quickly while backing up towards the jungle again. The laughter intensified which drew a growl from Wuzan before the panther lunged at him again, he held out his blades to try and impale the monster but it simply swiped them away, causing one to go flying before tearing into Wuzan's back with another heavy strike. The troll fell down in the mud and dense vines, his wounded back in spasm as he tried to crawl into back into what seemed like the relative safety of the tight tunnels through the undergrowth. He never looked back as he clawed his way forwards, eventually finding himself once again lost in the jungle. He managed to find a few larger than average rat-like creatures scurrying around once he formed a small rest station of sorts, feasting on them as he restored his strength and rested up. The next morning Wuzan woke to pain and agony, the wound on his back had not healed like he would have expected for such a flesh wound. Initially giving a few yelps of pain he quickly regained his composure and quietly inspected what he could of the wound, establishing that it was rather bad. He sat there in the dark mumbling pathetic prayers for aid, rattling his single murloc bone charm as he called out for anyone or anything to assist him. For a long time, all he could hear was the faint laughter from before, echoing off in the distance. Eventually an almost familiar voice began to talk to him, it sounded like a troll. At this point Wuzan was suffering from a nasty infection and was delirious with pain. He thought someone had found him, too weak to physically move and greet them he simply talked back to the voice, begging for help and reiterating over and over how he was stupid to have come to this place. After a time the owner of the voice began healing Wuzan, much to the trolls pleasure as he began to regain his composure rather quickly. His eyes blinked a few times as they looked around, though well adjusted to the dark he saw no one down either of the narrow tunnels leading away from his hidey hole. He called out one more and the voice answered again, he turned to the direction of the voice and saw a figure of pure, bright light floating away into the jungle as he called out after it. The voice sounded again, this time undeniably in his own head, telling him not to worry and that he would know where to go now. Wuzan wandered on through the jungle, having no way to find his way home he was completely at the mercy of the Loa in this place, their place. He walked for some time, hearing distant growls and roars from what seemed like the other side of the island in all directions, completely unable to get his bearings. After some time he came upon what seemed like a lone murloc, wandering along alone in front of him. Instinctively Wuzan drew his blade and stepped forward to charge the creature however he stopped himself in his first step, stooping low again as he growled, remembering to take nothing in this place at face value. He sheathed his blade again and pulled a spear out of the sheath on his back as he began to stalk the murloc, watching it for some time before he tried to move around the other side of it and realised it was walking along a sheer cliff edge, sighing with relief that he had not charged it wildly. The words "Not bad." echo hauntingly through Wuzan's head as he turns to where the source of the voice seems to be, seeing nothing but a bright orb of light retreating through the canopy. When he turned back forward the small murloc had been replaced by a large raptor which quickly spotted the troll and turns its neck as it screeched at him loudly before charging. Wuzan howled his own battle cry with a heavy lunge forward, pulling the spear back and using the momentum of his lunge to barrel it forward into the charging raptor's chest, it strikes and parts flesh, blood spraying out all over the undergrowth as he beast continues to charge with the spear sticking out of it. Wuzan growled lowly and pulled out his single remaining blade, preparing himself in a defensive stance. The raptor came into range and tried to snap at Wuzan, the beasts jaws being narrowly avoided as he charged past, turning on a pin prick and trying to snap at him again. Wuzan thrust out his wrist and caught the jaws with his arm, every tooth a razor shredding through his bracers and drawing a little blood. He gave a howl of pain and flipped his dagger around in his hand before stabbing the raptor in the side of the head savagely, the first few strikes rending flesh and ricocheting off the skull with a stomach churning noise however the next strike lands true and the blade is plunged into the beasts head, tearing through the brain and causing it to release the lock on Wuzan's arm and drop to the ground, mostly lifeless aside from the occasional twitch. He loomed over the corpse for a time, regaining himself as he once again heard the same laughter echoing in his head but this time it was shushed by another, sparking some kind of argument for some time. The troll sat in the middle of it all, trying to take in what was going on however he gained little over the many voices all mumbling over each other. Eventually a great silence came and he sighed, beginning to take a few mementos from the giant raptor before one strong voice simple uttered. "You must go now." Hairs stood on end and he looked about, the jungle all around seeming suddenly darker and more dangerous, covered in a dark fog yet there was one pathway which seemed to be clear of it. Wuzan quickly gathered himself and made off in the only direction that seemed to be open to him. After a short time he found himself coming out of the dense jungle, approaching the crest of a hill and looking over to spot familiar landmarks that he knew were close to the village. On the horizon, out at sea he spotted something, too far off to make it out but something that shouldn't have been. He made haste back to the village. Exodus Upon arrival others had noticed the objects off shore as well, warriors were rushing about and preparing. Wuzan found his old companion and inquired as to what was going on, getting the answer that Sen'jin had left to meet with strange creatures that had landed on the shore in giant wooden boats and that there were similar ships following them close behind. Wuzan got himself ready and moved out to where Sen'jin had gone with a band of younger aspiring headhunters who were eager to know what was going on. They found Sen'jin with heavily built though rather short green creatures who called themselves Orcs, lead by one named Thrall. Sen'jin had offered assistance against the humans which had also landed on the island and began searching for the orcs and they fought in several skirmishes before assaulting the human's main base and beating them utterly. However after the humans fell murlocs assaulted the battle weary forces and quickly subdued and captured everyone. They awoke in a dark dungeon. Wuzan could hear the agitated Loa screaming erratically in his head, shaking himself awake as he gathers his bearings. A small cell with five other troll warriors, mostly veterans but one is a younger warrior who accompanied Wuzan from the village. They could hear their kin being sacrificed by the murlocs to their 'sea witch' but were powerless to help, stuck in the dark cage. Suddenly a group of orcs appeared, Thrall himself stepping forward to shatter the lock on the gate with a thundering strike from Doomhammer. He urged them to join forces with him and they gladly did, picking up weapons and joining the orcs in battle against the sinister forces which obeyed the sea witch. They eventually fought their way through to the ritual chamber in search of Sen'jin. They arrived too late and he was sacrificed, the cave shaking as earthquakes ravaged the island soon after. Thrall lead the remaining orcs and trolls back to the surface where they were greeted by an erupting volcano and attacking murlocs as well as their sea witch. All joined in the defense of the orcs' small base as they repaired the ships with haste, venturing out between murloc assaults to rescue trolls trapped inland before eventually departing, escaping the destruction of the isle. Rise of the Horde Having survived the exodus from his homeland, Wuzan joined with the Horde now, landing in Kalimdor and travelling with them as they encountered and aided the Tauren against the Centaur and securing their lands and then moving on to find Durotar. There the Darkspear Trolls moved into the Echo Isles and lived in relative peace as the Horde began to forge a place for themselves in the rugged land. Wuzan simply remained there for a time helping his people rebuild a place for themselves in a changing world. The restrictions put upon his peoples traditional rituals and practices put a strain on his bond with the Loa but he always kept faith, offering what he could when it was appropriate in an attempt to keep their support for his people strong. After the Darkspear Tribe's expulsion from the isles he helped build Sen'jin Village on the coast of Durotar before moving out to stay mostly in Orgrimmar, when he was not further afield fighting for the Horde where ever another fighter was needed. In more recent times he has been maintained a strong presence in The Barrens, protecting Horde settlements from all manner of encroaching enemies with his brave companions, most notably the resurgent centaur. One notable evening a group of travelers were in the Crossroads Inn when a blood covered Tauren entered the doorway, speaking of an attack. All those present rose and asked questions, immediately volunteering to investigate along with a local battalion commander. In the dead of night they approached the ambush sight, fighting the bodies of the entire tauren caravan slaughtered and mutilated. The tauren among the investigators set about trying to take care of their fallen comrades in a respectful manner but they were suddenly attacked by centaur from the darkness, hurtling spears into the ground before they charged out of the shadows and assaulted them. The last tauren standing went berserk and brutally maimed many of the centaur in the assault while Wuzan and an orc warlock, Damurak, fended off the remaining centaur. After beating back the initial wave, horns sounded in the distance and it was apparent they had to leave, fleeing the scene with haste and regrettably leaving their fallen behind. Following the brutal ambush Wuzan began to lead small skirmishes against the apparent resurgent threat of centaur in the Barrens. After several small ambushes of his own, leaving the desecrated bodies of the fallen as a warning to others of their kind he happened upon information that affirmed to him that these centaur were nothing more than a few angry remnants, cut off from their homeland and left behind when the centaur attacked the Crossroads. After divining the source of the 'rising' centaur threat to be nothing more than a few cowards and stragglers making a desperate last stand Wuzan made moves to leave them crippled and even weaker than before. The Cataclysm As the minor campaign against the centaur drew to a definite conclusion he began to hear rumours of an ancient, untouched land in the north of the Eastern Kingdoms, full of primal beasts and spirits which had recently been opened by the Cataclysm. This intrigued him to set out on a journey to the lost land and seek these spirits himself. After a long journey he came to his destination along with his travelling companion, a secret pathway through the mountains which lead to a near untouched land, full of powerful beasts and even more powerful spirits. He spent much time here, establishing a home for himself as he communed with the spirits of the ancient place and hunted the savage, untamed beasts of the land. There in some remote part of the world is where Wuzan is rumoured to have settled; constructing himself a village, a stronghold from which to work from and one which has remained shrouded in mystery. Having agreed at an earlier time to aid Damurak in the fight against Deathwing when the time came, he moved back to Kalimdor to meet up with his friend Damurak. They travelled through the desert of Tanaris to reach the Caverns of Time, where they aid Wyrmrest Temple in the fight against Deathwing. Wuzan joined the fight against the corrupted colossus Morchok in order to break the siege on Wyrmrest Temple. Himself and a large group of heroes attacked the monstrosity from the rear and engaged it in an epic battle. Wuzan spent his time in the fray calling upon the Loa to bestow blessings upon his comrades, culminating in Rhunok, the arctic bear of the Drakkari answering the call and participating in a devastating double attack with Mam'toth, called into essence by another priest of the Loa. The menace fell to the heroes and Wyrmrest was safe, at least from immediate threat of being toppled. However the victory was short lived as two faceless generals appeared on the ridges surrounding Wyrmrest temple in massive old ones, gaping maws and horrific tentacles destroying the landscape. The heroes took a portal into the heart of one of the maws to fight Warlord Zan'ozz. It was an incredibly tough battle won only by the heroes ability to adapt. The warlord was all but impervious to attacks, the only sound tactic seeming to turn his own void energy on himself. Wuzan called upon Quetz'lun, the wind serpent of the Drakkari to assault the faceless one with a brutal lightning strike. The fight went on for some time although the heroes eventually emerged victorious, though severely battered. Only one general remained. The second faceless general the heroes had to face was Yor'sahj the Unsleeping. This general preferred to use his magical prowess over physical might, proving to be more than a worthy adversary for the group. The most interesting part of this battle was the numerous oozes of different varieties popping up from difference edges of the old one's interior. Wuzan done his best to keep his allies alive through the explosive encounter as well as calling upon the power of Shirvallah when inspired by a primal orc, using the favour of the Tiger to wildly gash open Yor'sahj's back with spirit claws. Following the defeat of the generals the band of heroes was sent to meet with the dragon aspects and Thrall. They were working to empower the Dragon Soul so that it could be used to defeat Deathwing but they lacked a crucial components, the Focusing Iris from the Eye of Eternity. Kalecgos opened a portal for the group and they ventured forward, the aspects sensed there was something wrong and expected a trap. It was to be, upon arrival the heroes were confronted by Hagara the Stormbinder, a powerful orcish arcanist loyal to Deathwing. The heroes fought with ferocity against biting frost and violent storms, eventually emerging victorious and retrieving the Focusing Iris, returning to Wyrmrest. The Aspects and Thrall began to empower the Dragon Soul, each giving a piece of themselves to make it powerful enough for Thrall to take down Deathwing with. Moments after they began the Destroyer himself appeared and threatened the group formed on the roof of the temple, departing as swiftly as he arrived while announcing the arrival of his greatest creation, Ultraxion. It was paramount that no harm came to the Aspects while they were carrying out the ritual so the heroes had to fight the great dragon, almost as large as the aspects themselves and pulsing with horrific twilight energies. However Ultraxion was equally sly in his dealings and pulled the heroes into his own twilight realm, forcing them to might on his terms as he furiously assaulted the ongoing empowerment. The heroes were forced to take great casualties in the defense, eventually emerging victorious as the shattered minion of Deathwing fell, exploding in a haze of dissipating energy as his physical form deteriorated too badly. Soon after they finished Ultraxion the process was complete and the Dragon Soul was ready to be used in the final fight against Deathwing himself. At this moment the Destroyer appeared once again, Thrall strode forward heroically to attempt to down the fallen aspect, powering up the Dragon Soul before firing off a blast towards him. Alas it did not succeed and Deathwing tore through the Horde gunship, utterly obliterating it in the process before making off once again. The remaining Alliance gunship moved in and loaded the heroes on to chase Deathwing down and finish it once and for all. Thera-no-more Wuzan took part in the assault on Theramore, joining an elite contingent of special forces which made a daring assault on the harbour whilst Warchief Garrosh and the main army of the Horde attacked the front gates and drew the ire of Proudmoore and all of the other Alliance heroes that had gathered to defend the crucial port. Wielding the magical blade, 'Souldrinker', crafted for Wuzan after his actions during the Cataclysm by the remaining former Dragon Aspects, he reaped destruction upon the rearguard of the fortress' forces. The weapon which had been infused with the power of the fallen Destroyer boiled soldiers within their armour, set forth ravenous swarms of insects that ripped and tore men's souls from their bodies and drenched the Alliance ships in the black blood of the Destroyer, sending many to the bottom along with their crews. Their mission was simple; retrieve a spy who had provided intelligence critical to Garrosh's plan for this place. The heroes of the Horde fought their way into the barracks, the cover of the main assault working well. Once they freed the elven spy he quickly opened a portal for them all to escape. Once they were secure, the signal was given, Garrosh sounded the retreat. The remaining Horde forces regrouped outside the settlement and held their position, Garrosh standing tall atop a crumbling tower as he spoke cryptically of the Horde's victory this day. All at once they began to understand his grim message. A zeppelin carrying a great bomb flew low over the rallying Alliance leaders and let it's load loose. Their Archmage barely managed to teleport them to safety in time before it struck, a blast like nothing Wuzan had seen before erupted, eclipsing the sun with it's magnificence. As the dust settled, Theramore was no more. The Isle in the Mist Following his actions in the service of Garrosh, Wuzan became conflicted in his duty. The things he had seen scarred his very soul, prompting him to hide away his coveted sword deep within the twisting caverns underneath the Barrens that he had once called home. When he was once again called to serve the Horde in a new land discovered in the south, he did answer the call, albeit without the devastating power he had once possessed. The campaign was a disaster from the beginning. Horde forces were shot down and stranded in the jungle. Few survived and those who did were wounded, sick and dying. They were beset on all sides by the ferocious native wildlife as well as Alliance forces who seemed similarly stranded and intended to take all they could from the weakened Horde expeditionary force. Contact was made with the native Pandaren, a race of peace loving bear-people who suffered in much the same way as the Horde and Alliance at the claws and fangs of the savage monsters roaming the woods. In return for completing a series of 'odd-jobs' and generally making the forest safe, a small group of heroes managed to win the Horde much needed supplies and medicine to combat the diseases of the new land. Eventually the expedition managed to set up a foothold in Pandaria and re-establish a link with the rest of the Horde, ferrying supplies and fresh troops in order to start the expedition properly. However it quickly became apparent that the arrival of the Horde and Alliance had stirred dark forces in the land, malevolent creatures of darkness called the Sha were encountered amongst the ruins and dark places. It seemed these monsters fed on the doubt of the early adventurers who had faced so much adversity in the strange new land. It was found, though, that these creatures could be dispatched in much the same way as anything else - by fire and steel. After receiving reinforcements from the Darkspear, Wuzan lead a company of veteran headhunters and younger aspirants who wished to learn from the old Shadow Hunter, youths full of vigour and a burning desire to emulate their tribal heroes. Throughout the early campaign they flourished, being able to traverse the dense woods and jungles of Pandaria with ease and complete reconnaissance missions vital to the Horde's progression through the new lands. War in Pandaria With both the Horde and Alliance having established themselves in Pandaria they began to move outwith the Jade Forest and further into the mainland. Everywhere they went, they found peace - though they brought with them war. In every place where the Alliance and Horde met there was conflict. Open warfare spread across the continent like wildfire. Brief respite was found within Pandaren villages, towns and temples, where both sides respected the neutrality of the natives enough to adhere to a ceasefire, though these places were few and far between in some regions. Wuzan found himself in the Krasarang Wilds, an appropriately named tropical region in the south which was all but covered in dense, unforgiving jungle. Even the native Pandaren avoided the region, having only a few small fishing villages on the islands off the coast. However the old troll had picked this place as it reminded him of his home, long lost and taken beneath the waves. He taught his disciples well in the crafts of their people, instilling in him the same lessons that he learned as a young hunter. Though the period of relative peace and training was not to last. The Alliance had also set up a base nearby and their jungle fighting force was none other than the elusive Night Elves. Wuzan relished a chance to test himself against their Wardens and Sentinel forces, as did many of the veterans stationed with him and yet the conflict proved to be bloody and long. Both sides were evenly matched, well used to moving through the canopy and skirmishing amongst the dense undergrowth and stalking predators yet the trolls lacked experience, many still afflicted by the rashness of youth. One by one the old troll lost his disciples, though who he had thought to pass his legacy onto. All of the pain and loss had not gone unnoticed. The collective despair of those living and fighting in the jungle had empowered yet another Sha. For Wuzan, it culminated in a battle outside Desolation Point, the Horde's stronghold in the region. The Alliance had launched an amphibious offensive on the island nearest to the fortress and an elite force was sent out to turn them back. Both sides employed new, devastating weaponry upon each other, dozens on each side died slow, painful deaths, being burnt alive to naught but cinders as their comrades were forced to lie in the dirt and watch, pinned down by new war machines each side had produced to try and end the stalemate. It was in this dark place that Wuzan lost his last comrades, felled in the most dishonourable way, stray bullets ripped across the battlefield and caught them unaware. His despair turned to vengeance, the bloodied warlord rising up and charging the Alliance across open ground. Dark forces surrounded him, shielded by them or perhaps by sheer luck alone as the old troll dodged the chaos of battle. As he reached their lines he struck out violently, attacking the minds as much as the bodies of the Alliance soldiers and turning their inherent fear in battle to absolute despair. Before he had even realised what was going on, his assault was turning squad after squad of his enemies into the Sha. Men writhed and screamed in torment as their bodies were torn apart, melting into a black mass before reforming into the most terrible of foes. Even when both sides stopped fighting, the power of the Sha had grown too much to be nullified. Dwarven heavy weapons teams were pulled together by unseen forces, melded and consumed together as they formed greater Sha entities, even the Horde forces suffered as their corruption washed the battlefield. Grunts turned into shambling monsters, once proud Tauren reduced to nothing but scything menaces and even a tamed Gronn was turned into a giant black monstrosity, spawning more of its vile kind each time its heavy fist battered the earth. Broken and having suffered enormous casualties both armies pulled out, leaving their dead and dying to their fate as the Sha consumed the entire island. Eventually goblin airships were called to burn the isle back to the bedrock and the defense was dubbed a success. The Alliance had failed to take the fortress. Somethingprofoundandmeaningful Wuzan struggled to accept what he had witnessed as a 'victory' of any kind, truly realising the trouble he and his people had brought to Pandaria. He began to withdraw from much of the combat, without any forces he completed scouting and mapping missions himself, exploring the land and learning from it's people. -workinprogress-Category:Character